Computer readable data is commonly stored on devices connected over a network to centralize access to the data. Until recently, use of the storage device was limited by the speed of the network connection. However, as network connections have become faster, the focus has shifted to increasing the speed and efficiency of the network storage device itself.
Network storage devices come in many forms. For example, a direct attached storage (DAS) device is attached to the network through a server. Use of the DAS device is therefore limited by the speed of the server. Network attached storage (NAS) devices improve the performance and efficiency of storage on the network by attaching directly to the network and making use of the NAS device independent of the server speed. That is, data is transferred directly between the NAS device and clients on the network via industry standard network protocols (e.g., TCP/IP). However, various clients on the network may require use of the same NAS device, requiring that access to the NAS device be managed to optimize the speed and efficiency thereof.
Use of the NAS device may be on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. For example, two or more transactions may be received at the NAS device. Where the first transaction is received first in time, the first transaction is processed by the NAS device ahead of the second transaction. However, use of the NAS device on a FIFO basis is not always efficient. For example, the first transaction may be to write backup data to the storage device while the second transaction may be a request to view a video clip stored on the NAS device. Thus, writing the backup data will take priority over retrieving the video clip, thereby interrupting transmission of the video clip and causing it to appear shaky as it is viewed by the second client.
Alternatively, multiple NAS devices on the network may each be designated for exclusive use by particular groups of users, applications, etc. For example, one NAS device may be designated for data backup, while the other NAS devices may each be designated for particular projects. Or for example, each NAS device may be designated for exclusive use by individual users or groups of users. However, such an approach can become costly, such as where additional storage devices must be purchased for each new project. In addition, such an approach may make inefficient use of the available NAS devices. That is, transactions at one or more NAS devices may be intermittent or non-existent at times (e.g., where data is only backed-up during off-peak hours), while transactions at other storage devices may be continuous during those same times (e.g., where stored data is repeatedly accessed for a particular project). As such, one or more NAS devices may be idle while at the same time, another NAS device experiences very high demand.
Therefore, a need exists to manage the NAS devices at the device level. Where there are multiple NAS devices on a network, a need also exists to centralize management of the NAS devices while maintaining control at the device level.